Nik Wallenda, Sarasota's celebrity spokesman

Daredevil's pride for his hometown has shown through in much of the coverage of his Grand Canyon stunt.

By JUSTINE GRIFFIN

Nik Wallenda could be this county's unofficial spokesman.

“He has been fantastic about plugging Sarasota,” said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, the county's tourism agency. “He did it twice on the ‘Today Show' (Monday) morning.”

Wallenda's pride for his hometown has shown through in much of the coverage leading up to and at the skywire walk he completed Sunday night over a portion of the Grand Canyon.

This year, Wallenda was named the 2013 “Voice of Sarasota” by Visit Sarasota County for promoting the area during a series of epic skywalks that, besides the Grand Canyon, have included downtown Sarasota locales and Niagara Falls.

As of June 18, the tourism agency has tracked 83 million media impressions about Sarasota from Wallenda coverage by media outlets all over the world.

Journalists representing magazines and television stations from around the globe traveled to Sarasota County during Wallenda's two-week training session at Nathan Benderson Park.

Segments of NBC's “Today Show” showcased Benderson Park, and a story about Wallenda written by an Associated Press reporter was carried to newspapers and other media outlets across the country.

The Discovery Channel's production showcased Sarasota in many ways — from Wallenda's home in the community, to Southwest Florida's rich circus heritage.

An HBO special on Wallenda has yet to air.

“Not bad for a $60,000 sponsorship investment,” Haley said.

Sarasota will honor Wallenda with a Main Street parade June 30 at 5 p.m.

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